LEETONIA Business keeps the glass full at village water-testing lab

The lab can have results of most water tests within 24 hours.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LEETONIA -- It took nearly a year for word to spread, but Leetonia's water-testing lab has become a popular place.
The lab is a joint venture of Leetonia village and the Columbiana County Health District. Director Michael Sabbato, a microbiologist, said the lab does a brisk business, testing about 50 water samples each week along with other tests.
He said the lab tests water for municipalities and individuals in Columbiana, Jefferson and Cuyahoga counties, and the list is growing.
Leetonia Administrator Gary Phillips said the village has always had its own lab to do basic testing of water samples but agreed last year to work with the county health district and expand services.
The health district pays Sabbato's salary, and the village receives 10 percent of the gross revenue from testing fees, Phillips explained.
"We have a good relationship with the county health district, and it is a big step into the future for Columbiana County to have a lab in the county," he said.
Faster results
Without a local lab, the health district or municipalities had to send samples to areas such as Cleveland or Akron, with turnaround of two or three days. For most tests, the Leetonia lab's turnaround is 24 hours.
"We're very proud of what we do here," Sabbato said. Lab employees completed the necessary training and testing last year, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency certified the lab to test drinking water in July.
Sabbato said the certification enables the lab to accept drinking water from anywhere in Ohio for testing. The lab maintains its certification by passing both announced and unannounced proficiency tests.
Because the local lab means faster test results, orders to boil drinking water don't have to be in effect as long, Sabbato said.
If a waterline breaks or pressure drops, bacteria can get into the water supply, so communities are required to issue an order for drinking water to be boiled until tests deem it safe to drink.
Without a local lab, a boil order during the week will be in effect two to three days. On the weekend, it will likely take five days or more for the community to receive the test results, he said.
"The goal is to provide testing at a reasonable price with a turnaround time that is as short as possible," Sabbato said.
He said the village plans to apply for grants to expand the lab so employees can become certified to do more testing. The more testing that can be done, the better the water quality will be, he said.